parents not suing

[mom2rtk]

They have a long battle ahead. No amount of money would make the suffering easier.

Knowing the business side though I would be shocked if Disney didn't come up with a large sum, a NDA, and an agreement that this would not reach the courts. That sums is probably above and beyond what they would have ever actually seen out of a long drawn out court case. Much easier to bury their son and start healing then it is to have to relive the fact of his death over and over and over in court while the many appeals go through.

Absolutely this. Disney would have paid anything to get this behind them.

 

[pocomom]

I imaigne Disney gave them something, or at least offered---but I'd like to think this family, in spite of suffering unimagineable tragedy, realizes sometines bad things happen and are not really anyone's fault and this is one of those times and is not going to use their child's death for a payday.

At the least--I am going to give the fmaily the benefit of the doubt and assume they are not suing becuase they do not feel it is the right thing to do or that WDW can be blamed for the horror they have been through, and not just beucase they were paid off.
My heart just breaks for them every time I think of the siutation.

I get what you are saying , but I don't think we need to judge if they did accept money. There are costs with recovering from something like this and another child to think of. I'm sure there were funeral costs, counseling, probably even security from all the nutjobs harassing them.
I don't think accepting a "payday" necessarily means that were trying to profit from their son's loss, but maybe some small easing of an unmanageable burden.
I can't imagine soldiering on after something like this.

 

[MariMama]

They aren't suing because they already settled out of court. Disney wants to put this behind them as quickly as possible.

 

[NHdisneylover]

If get what you are saying , but I don't think we need to judge if they did accept money. There are costs with recovering from something like this and another child to think of. I'm sure there were funeral costs, counseling, probably even security from all the nutjobs harassing them.
I don't think accepting a "payday" necessarily means that were trying to profit from their son's loss, but maybe some small easing of an unmanageable burden.
I can't imagine soldiering on after something like this.

I wouldn't judge them for accepting something offered--but would if they pushed for more or sued or made it clear they had to be paid off in order not to----which seems to be what many here assume happened, that the family WOULD have sued if not offered money. I disagree----I think everything I have heard about them indicates they are heartbroken, kind, fair people who might gratefully accept an offer of some kind but not insist on one or insist on placing blame in a blameless situation.

 

[NHdisneylover]

They aren't suing because they already settled out of court. Disney wants to put this behind them as quickly as possible.

Like this, this is what i mean. I am not so cynical as to beleive that hte only reason teh family is not suing is BECAUSE they were paid something already. I think tehy are not suing becuase tehy do not think it is the right thing to do and do not feel a need to unfairly push for payment.

Did they probably get offered and accept some funds anyway? Yes; I imagine they did and I do not blame them----but to assume the worst about them, that they WOULD sue otherwise, yeah, well, I am not going to do that.

 

[sunshinehighway]

I cannot imagine that they did not. Disney cannot bring their baby back, but they can assist with money, and while I doubt we will ever know how much, I am sure the sum was way more than if they took this to court. No one wanted this to get to a court case, not that poor family and not Disney. If they came to an agreement to make the possibility of a lawsuit go away, good for everyone. As a parent, I know that reliving that nightmare day after day in public would be the end of me.

Yes. The family would have been put through hell with a court case.
It was an unthinkable situation. Sometimes with court cases it becomes a protect your interests and dig your heels in when all the injured party is really looking for is sympathy and understanding of their loss. Sometimes situations are just unforeseeable. I'm sure Disney never expected something like that to happen. Sometimes with lawsuits the human factor of just understand the unintentional pain caused gets lost in trying to protect interests. My guess and hope would be Disney has been completely understanding of the parents grief and that's why they decided not to sure. I think in situations like this, for the injured party is not about the money but about the other party caring about their pain and not just looking out for themselves.

 

[JaxDad]

Like this, this is what i mean. I am not so cynical as to beleive that hte only reason teh family is not suing is BECAUSE they were paid something already. I think tehy are not suing becuase tehy do not think it is the right thing to do and do not feel a need to unfairly push for payment.

Did they probably get offered and accept some funds anyway? Yes; I imagine they did and I do not blame them----but to assume the worst about them, that they WOULD sue otherwise, yeah, well, I am not going to do that.

I'm about as anti-litigious and pro-tort-reform as they come, but I don't think badly of everyone who sues. There are certainly justifiable cases, and I think this family had one. I would not have judged them if they had sued or even if their lawyers implied that they would. However, with that being said, I'm pretty sure they got something from Disney. They may have taken what was initially offered, but I'd guess there were negotiations and lawyers involved.

 

[AppleDumpling]

I agree that no one should be judging them and we will never know the details of any compensation they received. According to an article I read, the Graves family is setting up a foundation in their son's name that will honor his memory by donating to local charities in their home community of Omaha.

 

[fly girl]

Like this, this is what i mean. I am not so cynical as to beleive that hte only reason teh family is not suing is BECAUSE they were paid something already. I think tehy are not suing becuase tehy do not think it is the right thing to do and do not feel a need to unfairly push for payment.

Did they probably get offered and accept some funds anyway? Yes; I imagine they did and I do not blame them----but to assume the worst about them, that they WOULD sue otherwise, yeah, well, I am not going to do that.

You're correct, we don't know if they would've sued. I would've been surprised if they did, given that it looks like Disney tried their best to take care of them during the tragedy -- and tried to help them afterwards monetarily as well.

Everyone involved wanted to move forward. Thankfully.

 

[brooke789]

You're correct, we don't know if they would've sued. I would've been surprised if they did, given that it looks like Disney tried their best to take care of them during the tragedy -- and tried to help them afterwards monetarily as well.

Everyone involved wanted to move forward. Thankfully.

I'm just curious. What do we know that Disney did to help them?

 

[minnie56]

I'm just curious. What do we know that Disney did to help them?

We can't know for certain..
But knowing Disney, I'm sure there would have been a settlement or at the very least a donation to the fund they've established.

 

[fly girl]

I'm just curious. What do we know that Disney did to help them?

Honestly, I can't answer exactly what they did/didn't do because it has been kept pretty quiet to the best of my knowledge.

However, knowing that top Disney execs brought statements forward saying they are doing the best they can to aide the family, my guess is in typical Disney style they tried to do everything possible to help the parents in their time of need. I'm sure it included 24/7 care until they got home.

The fact that they didn't sue also is telling that Disney handled it this awful situation as best as they could. If the family felt mistreated or slighted, I don't think you'd see this outcome.

Naturally Disney wanted to get this tragedy done and over with from a business standpoint. I wouldn't be shocked if it included a large monetary payment as well.

 

[mefordis]

I imaigne Disney gave them something, or at least offered---but I'd like to think this family, in spite of suffering unimagineable tragedy, realizes sometines bad things happen and are not really anyone's fault and this is one of those times and is not going to use their child's death for a payday.

At the least--I am going to give the fmaily the benefit of the doubt and assume they are not suing becuase they do not feel it is the right thing to do or that WDW can be blamed for the horror they have been through, and not just beucase they were paid off.
My heart just breaks for them every time I think of the siutation.

I strongly sense that they gave them a large sum of money - so much that they can't even spend it in their liftimes, hence the foundation they set up in their son's name to give some of it away. Typically people don't just set up foundations for loved ones who die unless they have donated money they no longer want/ need to hold onto.

 

[bcla]

I get what you are saying , but I don't think we need to judge if they did accept money. There are costs with recovering from something like this and another child to think of. I'm sure there were funeral costs, counseling, probably even security from all the nutjobs harassing them.
I don't think accepting a "payday" necessarily means that were trying to profit from their son's loss, but maybe some small easing of an unmanageable burden.
I can't imagine soldiering on after something like this.

I remember hearing interviews with Kenneth Feinberg, who is well known for being the administrator of the various funds for victims of 9/11, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, and other well known compensation funds. He acknowledged that a lot of what he did may have seemed cold and calculated, but he couldn't change the past and the only tool at his disposal was money and rules for distributing that money. Sometimes money is the only way to move on, although it doesn't mean forgetting. This is what he had to say about his job:

There is not one family member I've met who wouldn't gladly give back the check, or, in many cases, their own lives to have that loved one back. 'Happy' never enters into this equation.​

 

[TLSnell1981]

I cannot imagine the heartache of this family and cannot fathom the wound ever healing. I wish them peace and comfort.

I don't think they received a settlement. I strongly doubt one was asked for. I do think they could have prevailed with a lawsuit.

I can't imagine both parties reaching an agreement in such a short time. Also, couldnt fathom spending a dime of that money.

My thoughts and prayers are with the Graves family.

 

[mom2rtk]

The fact that they didn't sue also is telling that Disney handled it this awful situation as best as they could.

It tells me the sum of money involved was very large.

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

Any settlement is going to include a non-disclosure agreement, no matter the dollar amount. We can guess and assume all we want, but none of us will ever know what Disney agreed to in order to settle the matter. I'm just glad that it was settled quickly and with little fanfare.

 

[mummabear]

Like this, this is what i mean. I am not so cynical as to beleive that hte only reason teh family is not suing is BECAUSE they were paid something already. I think tehy are not suing becuase tehy do not think it is the right thing to do and do not feel a need to unfairly push for payment.

Did they probably get offered and accept some funds anyway? Yes; I imagine they did and I do not blame them----but to assume the worst about them, that they WOULD sue otherwise, yeah, well, I am not going to do that.

I don't think peopl are dying it in s bad way, I am very anti suing and yet I feel in their case I would have sued them unless we came to a settlement first.
We all understand that this does not mean they are reedy running their hands together looking to profit from their child's death but that I feel strongly that Disney was negligent.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I can't imagine both parties reaching an agreement in such a short time. Also, couldnt fathom spending a dime of that money.

My thoughts and prayers are with the Graves family.

I think Disney came with a huge number so there was no need for an agreement.

I can see myself spending the money. I would quit my job and spend every moment I could with my living child trying to give them the best possible life because I would realize that life is way too short. I would also be getting tons of top notch therapy for the whole family since we witnessed such a tragic event. Not to mention the funeral expenses.

 

[gwynne]

I can't imagine both parties reaching an agreement in such a short time. Also, couldnt fathom spending a dime of that money.

My thoughts and prayers are with the Graves family.

Well, many people who lose a dear loved one feel the same, but they have to use the insurance money anyway. It's there to help. Money doesn't eliminate grief.